Secondary battery.



No. 675,784. Patented lune 4, 190|. C. L. R. E. MENGES.

SECONDARY BATTERY.

(Applicaton'led Dec. 23, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 675,784. Patentd .lune 4, |90I.

C. L. H. E. MENGES.

SECONDARY BATTERY;

' (Applicaeion med Dee. 23, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITE-D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES LUDWIG RUDOLPH ERNEST MENGES, OF THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS.

SECONDARY BATTERY.

SMJGIFIGATIGN forming part of Letters: Patent No. 675,784, dated J' une 4, 1901. I Application filed December 23,1891. Serial No. 663.250. (No model.)

To all whom it mayconcern: j j

Be it known that L CHARLEsLUDwIG RU; DOLPH ERNEST MENGES, electrical engineer, a subject of the Queen of the Netherlands, residingat 82 and SLI-Balistraat, The Hague, Netherlands, have invented certain newfand useful Improvements in Secondary Batteries, (for which I have obtained patents in England, No. 8,905, dated May 4, 1895;in France, No. 251,428, dated November 4, 1895; in Belgium, No. 118,148, dated November 4, 1895, and in Germany, No. 83,627, dated April 20, 1895,) of which the followingis a'specilication, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings.

Referringto the` drawings which accompany this speciicatiom-Figure 1 is a vertical section of an" accumulator or storage battery wherein there are arranged a series of alternative positive and negative plates E' E2 E3 E4 E5, consisting of cores or supporting frames or grids containing the exciting or active material. Now suppose each-plate be divided vertically midwaybetween its faces by a cut c c and let the two halves b e drawn apart. Then instead of l there being intermediate spaces, such as t 'c' c', Fig. 1, between plates of diiierent polarity spaces willbe provided between the halves orsections of the saine polarity forming each plate, as indicated by Fig. 2, which is a vertical section of one form of my improved accumulator or storage battery, and in that case porous partitions, such as p p, mustbe inserted between the half-plates of opposite polarity to prevent direct contact between-such plates. It will of course be understood that the outer halves of the first and last electrode should be omitted, as they would in any event, as well as in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, remain inoperative.

Now an arrangement such as that illustrated i'n Fig. 2 affords thefollowing advantages: A porous partition may be inserted between'parts'of different polarity, so that either direct' contact between the differently-polarized parts or indirect contact thereof caused by pieces of the active material which may happen to crumble off may thereby be eectually prevented, and owing to the little dis- This invention relatesfto Vsecondary bat-f 'tance intervening between the plates the electrical resistance is less than in the arrangement sh'ownin Fig. 1. Heretofore where por- Vous partitions have been used the free access ofjthe liquid to the interior of the plate was considerably interfered with; but such access is, on the contrary, facilitated by the improved arrangement forming the subject of this invention, because the free or exposed surface of the plate is, in the first place, exactly similar to Vthe free surface in Fig. 1, and in addition to this the arrangement represented in Fig. 2 has the-advantage that until the discharge is completed the liquidvis enabled directly to meet the active portion of the materialand need not lirstvbe diffused through or permeate a layer of material which has becomeinactive.

In constructing accumulatore the method of operation is necessarily not quite the same as that which has just been described, the plates being in that case directly constructed in the manner shown in Fig. 2.

The particular form to be given to the grid is immaterial for the purposes of this invention. In fact, any suitable form of grid may be employed. The advantages afforded by battery-plates constructed in accordance with the specification of prior British Letters Patent- No. 11,923 of 1887 may here be also utilized, as illustrated in Fig. 3. As in this irnproved arrangement only halves of plates are employed, such halves may be made by pressure-say in a rollin g-mill-instead of by casting. In order to maintain the two platehalves, such as E2 and FX2, (shown in the plan Fig. 4,) at the required distance from each other, suitable spacing-blocks s s' (which need not be made of insulating material,since they are placed between plates of the same polarity) may beY used, or, as will be readily understood, the plates themselves may be formed with spacing projections s2 s2. In fact, if preferred, the two half-plates E2 and E2 may, together with the spacing-pieces s s3, be formed as one undivided or integral body provided with internal channels t t' i t', which should not be illed with active material, thus giving the required space for the circulationof the liquid. The spacing-blocks 3 s0 between the-first or last plate and the wall IOO of the jar or containing vessel, Fig. 4, should be made of flexible material, such as indiarubber, or the plates when fitted together may be compressed either in pairs or all together by means of elastic bands, so as to allow for expansion, if need be, and at the same time toinsure close contact under normal conditions.

Vhere the grid or core is made of sheet metal, the preferable course is to form the perforations required for the circulation of the fluid not by cutting pieces out of the metal, but by making small cuts horizontally and vertically in altei'nate rotation to form small tongues or flaps, such as m 4m min Fig. 5, bent backward or forward, as shown, for example, in the plan view, Fig. G. By such means the double result will be obtained that while the surface will be further increased in extent (owing to the additional surfaces provided by the edges of the cut parts) facilities for turning the active material to better ac,- count will be afforded, since by the judicious arrangement of the said flaps or tongues current can be carried up to certain points which otherwise would remain idle.

It may further be pointed out that the porous partitions p p need not necessarily be made of such substances as asbestos, felt, or the like, which it is customary to describe as porous, but that perforated celluloid or ebonite plates may also be used for the purposes, provided that the diameter of the perforations is not too large in comparison with the length. Again, a compound wall may be constructed, say, of asbestos and felt, which, with a view to imparting increased firmness to the whole structure, should be covered with. a perforated Celluloid plate.

As it is of the utmost importance to avoid contacts or short circuits between plates of diierent polarity over the edges of the porous partitions, it is best to make the porous partitions somewhat larger than the plates. A further guarantee against short-circuiting may be obtained by filling the spaces at the edges of the plates and the porous partitions with plaster-of-paris or other suitable material, as shown, for instance, at fat the4 bottom of the jar in Fig. 3.

Another form of my invention I prefer in some cases is as follows: A set of plates, as shown in the original arrangement of my in' vention, Fig. 2, composed of two plate-halves of different polarity-for instance, E/1 and Ez-with the inserted porous partition p p, is bentround, `so as to form a tube, as shown by the same letters in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, Fig. 7 being a vertical section through A B of the plan Fig. 9. This may be done so as to have the axis of the tube horizontal, inclined, or vertical, the last being what I generally prefer. Now it is obvious that it will in no way alter the principle of my invention if the electrodes are directly made in the shape of tubes by casting, rolling, drawing, or any othersuitable process instead of being formed by bending a set of flat plates, as previously explained.

The cross-section of the tubes need not be of exactly circular shape. I generally prefer to provide them with projecting ribs and rings, (shown by the different examples in Fig. 9,) partly for increasing the surface of the electrodes and partly for increasing its strength. For the latter purpose such ribs and rings may be formed as special strengthening-pieces surrounding or supporting the electrodes at the outside or the inside. Such supporting-pieces, which instead of being formed by separate pieces I generally prefer to make as a continuous coie or cover the whole length of the electrode-tube from suitable strong yet light materials, as Celluloid, micanite, (a well-known substance composed, mainly, of mica,) asbestos, ebonite, or the like, maybe, for instance, in the shape shown at s' or in the shape of a perforated tube, as at s2.

The several sets of electrode-tubes need not be separated, but may touch, for according to theprinciple of this invention there are none but free surfaces of the same polarity which face each other as well inside as outside the tube set. However, to keep the several sets in a regular position or to prevent them being shaken to and fro a suitable cement, such as plaster-of-paris, or a molten substance, such as paraffin, is poured in a liquid state into the accumulator-cell, so as to cover the bottom to a small height, as shown atf, Fig. 7. When set hard, this cement keeps the lower ends of the electrodes in position, the upper ends being held by metallic connections. These metallic connections may also be used at the lower ends of the electrodes.

If the interior of the electrical tube is suliciently large to contain the required quantity ot liquid, it may be closed at one end or both ends. Otherwise suitable openings are to be provided at the end or in the wall of the tubes. These latter holes, if made Within the active material, will also improve the access of the liquid to the active material.

To provide the necessary elasticity for the expansion or contraction of the active material by the electric action and to maintain a good contact between the active material and the supporting-grid, notwithstanding the alternate expansion or contraction, the electrodes may be made undulated or polygonal or plaited, as indicated at E5 or E'5 or EG, or the core supporting the active material may be formed by a lattice-work of lead, lead antimonium, or other suitable metallic wire, as shown in Fig. S, or the porous partition may be made so as toyield easily when compressed. It may, for instance, be made by a suitable tissue of asbestos or asbestos and rubber or rubber sponge, or it may be composed, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9 at p2, of a central undulated core of perforated celluloid covered with asbestos, thus forminglon- IOO IIO

gitudinal canals between said core and cover, or a core of perforated soft rubber covered with asbestos or woven-glass thread, as indicated vat p3.

The porous partition may also be formed by such substances asnamed before mixed with plaster-of-paris, or as a connection for pieces of plaster-of-paris, or plaster-of-paris alone may be used.

Instead of making the porous partition circular in section it may be made undnlated or polygonal, partly to make it more yielding and partly to obtain more equal thickness of the active material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In a secondary battery, the combination of perforated electrode plates, permeable non-conducting partitions,active materials of diierent polarity in contact with the opposite sides of said non-conducting partitions and with the perforated portions of said electrode-plates, means for maintaining the space for the electrolytic liquid between electrodewalls of the same polarity, and means for maintaining the active material in elastic contact with the electrode-plates and With the permeable partitions, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

2. In a secondary battery, the combination with a permeable non-conducting partition,

of active materials of different polarity in VContact with the inner and outer surfaces,

respectively, of said partition, and plaited extensible and retractible concentric tubular electrode-plates of opposite polarity between which the said partition and active materials are itted,substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

3. In a secondary battery, the combination :With a tubular permeable non-conducting partition of elastic expansible and retractible construction, of active materials of different polarity i'n contact with the inner and outer surfaces, respectively of said partition, and concentric tubular electrode-plates of opposite polarity between which the said partition and active materials are fitted, substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

4. In a secondary battery, the combination of a compound permeable non-conducting partition formed of a supporting-piece of insulating material with perforations and channels covered by a porous non-conducting substance, and active materialen both sides of said partition, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of December, 1897.

CHARLES LUDWIG RUDOLPH ERNEST MENGESi Witnesses:

H. C. J. Gnirrnns, A. J. RUnLossn. 

